Some business programs that operate on data processing systems prompt users to input dates depending on the specific programs and needs of the business. Recently, input of dates using a GUI (Graphical User Interface), such as by displaying a calendar on a date input screen and allowing users to select a date on the calendar with a mouse or the like, has been increasing. However, due to size restrictions on screens and monitors, an advantage of direct input of dates with a keyboard still exists.
When inputting a date (e.g., “2006/10/12”) with a keyboard, users are required to input an 8-digit number. To reduce user work, techniques for allowing an omission of input of part of a date (e.g., “year”) at the time of input of the date have been developed. Conventional techniques, such as those cited below, exist.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-63037 discloses a technique that permits omitting the input of “year” regarding items sorted in ascending order with respect to dates in an electronic procurement system.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-10697 determines an input range of dates on the basis of the current date, and that specifies the date corresponding to the “day” selected from the range.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-105290 discloses a an input range that prevents form data input errors by presetting form data types (e.g., a type regarding whether to input a past date or a future date for the items), and by denying registration of the data if data different from the preset data types is input.
In conventional techniques described above, an omission of input of “year” or “year and month” of a date is realized by complementing “month and day” or “day” input by users with predetermined “year” or “year and month”, respectively, under given conditions. These conventional techniques require at least “day” to be input fully, and to be fixed. For example, when a user intends to input a date “2006/10/12”, the complementation operation is not performed until the user inputs “12” for day, and then presses the “Enter” key lo fix the input. Thus, if the complementation operation can be performed without fixing the input after inputting “day” in a complete form, that is, for example, if the complementation operation can be performed after the input of “1” or “2” in the above example, more efficient date input becomes available.
In addition, the conventional techniques are difficult for users to understand and predict the results. This is mainly due to the fact that the complemented date is not displayed to the users until the users fix the input numerals.
Displaying of a result of a complementation operation before a user fixes the input numerals allows the user to perform more efficient date input, while predicting the processing of the complementation operation